The GHID Blog

Welcome to our blog, here we go in depth with our design projects and hopefully we teach you a bit about interior design and our industry. If you're looking for a specific blog post, check out our archive here!

We get it, your dream home has half a dozen bedrooms, a massive kitchen, and a sprawling patio. But not everyone can afford that, and sometimes space is tight! More and more people are taking advantage of what little space they have and designing around it to make their homes look as good as a large home. We have some great photos to share with you that really show how much you can fit into just a few hundred square feet and still be comfortable.

Keep Your Home Free of Clutter

Apartment Therapy has a great article titled The 10 Commandments of Small Space Living, and their first rule of thumb is to keep clutter out of the way and make things simple. This 344 square foot apartment is elegant and minimal, without sacrificing any of the necessities. I love how this home uses a glass wall to help define the bedroom while still making the apartment feel open. The wall of windows letting in a lot of natural light should also be noted, and help the place feel much larger.

...Unless You Can Do Clutter Right!

Sometimes clutter can go over well if it is done right. While minimalism worked well in the previous home, it's modern style really helped the look. But this wood-lined New York apartment favors well with a certain level of organized clutter. The collection of wooden picture frames with the elegant furniture gives the 300 square foot studio a vibe that is one part antique class and one part rustic. Like a hole-in-the-wall decor shop, this space makes you tread carefully so as to not knock anything over, but also makes you wonder how someone made so much clutter look so good.

You Don't Need to Sacrifice Open Space

This 390 square foot space in New York shows off that you can live in a small apartment and not have to give up large areas of open space. Unlike the last two homes, this one has walls separating rooms, closing off the bedroom and the kitchen from each other (see the floorplan here).

Bright Light Opens Up the Space

Visitors of this Paris, France apartment say "it's very bright," and that may be the best way to describe this 430 square foot space. The massive windows let in the daylight and make the home seem larger than it actually is (not to mention the windows allow visitors to enjoy the parisian landscape). The effect is maximized through the owner's use of space, and keeping furniture and decorations to a minimum while still remaining classy and modern.

Optimize Your Home For Entertaining

Click on the photo above to animate it! Don't think you'll be able to still host parties in your small space? Think again! This awesome bar folds out to host parties, and folds away when you're done, becoming a sleek and elegant storage unit. No one will see it coming!

Which small apartment was your favorite? And what would you be willing to give up in order to live in one? Let us know in the comments!